are very large And now hauing spoken of the person whose sinne is thus freely remitted wee come to speake of the blessednesse promised vnto him Blessed NOw we are to enquire First what is meant by the blessednesse pronounced on such a man as hath this ease couer and acquittance from his sinnes Secondly the instructions to be learned By blessednesse is meant an effect of iustification namely that happy state and condition of a man arising from all those heauenly blessings in Christ which are chained together Ro. 8. 29. 30. as from Gods prescience predestination vocation iustification sanctification and glorification This blessednesse of a man in Christ hath two degrees First in this life which may bee called a blessednesse of grace Secondly in the life to come which is a blessednesse of glorie The former is heere principally meant which may be reached in this life and necessarily draweth after it the other as he that draweth one linke of a chaine draweth the whole Pardon of sinne is such a gift as makes a man fully happy for the Text cleareth it thus First that which remoueth all miserie and burden maketh a man happy such as are the curse of God due to sinne in this life and the life to come the guiltinesse of conscience horrour of soule and expectation of vengeance which is hell before hell c. But this doth pardon of sinne it is the ease of our burden Secondly that which brings into fauour with GOD otherwise an enemie so as God and man can now walke together as friends God can looke with a cleare countenance on man and man looke vp with sweet comfort in his God This makes a man a happy man the light of Gods countenance is better then life But this doth pardon of sinne which couereth all our nakednesse and deformitie Thirdly that wherein we are iustified before God is our blessednesse but in not imputing of sinnes is our iustification as the Apostle from this place proueth Rom. 4. 6. 7. Hence is it that Zachary in his Song Luk. 1. 77. sayth that God by remission of sinne teacheth the knowledge of saluation Fourthly and lastly euen nature will draw this confession from the worst that the best to be happy need pardon that if God straitly mark what is done amisse none could abide and that euery man by the Law is accursed Secondly and much more doth the Scripture teach that before God haue begunne his grace with a man his whole life is hatefull his mind and conscience polluted yea and after euery thing is imperfect so as the best workes need pardon Thirdly and most of all the experience of the godly confirmeth this truth Neuer did any man feele the burden of sinne and Gods wrath in his soule for it but hee could say his happinesse was to be eased Neuer did any see the ougly face of his sinne and Gods angry face beholding it out of Heauen as a consuming fire but hee would proclaime him happy whose sinne is couered Neuer did any feele Gods Tribunall set vp in his conscience and God and his conscience casting him for his insufficiencie but he did place his peace and happinesse in Gods not imputing his sinne vnto him If blessednesse stand in the pardon of sinne and imputation of righteousnesse then not in merits and satisfactions This vse the Apostle draweth out of this place Rom. 4. If righteousnesse stand in the hiding of sin then not in meriting it Besides there are but two wayes of discharging debts eyther forgiuenesse or payment If I pay it is not forgiuen Popish doctrine standeth here against the light of the Scripture in the Campes of naturall reason which suggesteth that something must bee done by a man to his owne iustification as the young man What good thing shall I doe to be saued And the Papists neuer asking God what they should doe set themselues on workes satisfactorie which hee neuer enioyned as Donations to Churches Pilgrimages Fastings Pater-nosters Aueës Creeds Inuocations Visitations Oblations to Saints keeping and kissing yea praying to Reliques Merits of Saints Workes supererogatory Purgatory Vowes Vigils Masse-chantings Iubileës martes of pardon and a thousand such Symoniacall trickes to make a sale of remission of sinnes all which wage battell and warre to this learning of Dauid Of all these in generall will one day bee said Who required these things at your hands these things so derogatorie to the bloud of Iesus Christ which cleanseth vs from all sinne Secondly to the nature of iustification which is the full absolution of a sinner before God by reason of Christ who is made our righteousnesse by imputation Thirdly so derogatory to the truth of the doctrine concerning good Workes which are farre from iustifying or meriting I speake of good Workes euen of grace which first are imperfect in number secondly in degree not being done with all due intents nor the whole heart and strength neither can be because the heart is partly spirituall partly fleshly the best workes therefore haue flesh and corruption in them and whatsoeuer is defiled performeth not the Law needeth a couer and cannot in it selfe be accepted Thirdly they are imperfect in the person No good worke can proceede from any but a good worker and a iustified person first make the tree good and then the fruit will be good also therefore they cannot iustifie seeing the person is already iustified And the iustified person when he doth the best is vnprofitable he cannot answere one of a thousand and if the Lord should marke what is done amisse who could stand The best worke hath matter of humiliation which may exclude all our reioycing Paul knew nothing by himselfe but had practised workes of grace many yet saith he was not thereby iustified But they say God hath promised a reward of life eternall to good workes Let them shew a place where it is promised to the worke but to the worker being a beleeuer to whom Christs righteousnesse is imputed in which regards all such rewards are meere mercy But Christ hath merited that our good works should merit That is false for then Christ merited that our good workes should fulfill the iustice of the Law which they cannot being stayned with sinne and that they are dyed in the bloud of Christ maketh them not meritorious of eternall life but that they bring not eternall death Dauid prayeth Psal. 7. 3. to bee iudged according to his righteousnesse Righteousnesse is either of the cause or of the person Dauid here speaketh of the former for hee had a good cause and conscience though Saul pursued him to the death but he speaketh not of the righteousnesse of his person before God of which Iob speaketh when hee saith that if hee should iustifie himselfe namely before God his owne clothes would defile him The last iudgement is by workes and therefore iustification These are diuers workes of God in the first
Rom. 8. 26. Fiftly only they know that Christ is theirs with all his merits and thus attayne the ioy of beleeuing He that sold all to buy the field went away with ioy that he had gotten the field So he that knowes he hath gotten Christ and groweth vp in him as a member in the head and liueth and moueth by him will reioyce in his purchase of naked Christ. How did Simeon reioyce when he had Christ in his armes How much more will a sound Christian who carries him in his heart Sixtly only they sucke and draw their ioy out of the Wells of sound consolation Isa. 12. 3. that is out of the Scriptures which are written that their ioy may be ful 1. Ioh. 1. 4. The priuiledge of Gods testimonies is that they reioyce the heart Psal. 19. 8. These make knowne to vs the things giuen vs of God these contayne the glad tydings of saluation and the precious promises of grace and glorie which belong only to godlinesse here be the deedes and conueyances of their eternall inheritance only bequeathed to children these be the Chariot of the Spirit who yeeldeth no argument of ioy and comfort but from the Word and all ioy elsewhere sought is carnall and presumptuous Seuenthly only they enioy the sweet peace and ioy of a good conscience excusing and acquitting them in the sight of God which it selfe is a continuall feast and makes them glad and cheerefull Prou. 15. 15. This was the true cause of the heauenly ioy which the Apostles in their labours and persecutions enioyed euen the testimonie of a good conscience 2. Cor. 1. 12. Eighthly only they haue the hope of glorie in soule and body which is a fruit of iustification Rom. 5. 3. and a sound cause of ioy We reioyce saith the Apostle vnder the hope of the glory of God and hope maketh not ashamed And not only this but a grounded assurance also that all things in earth which may seeme to darken their hopes shall be turned to the best Rom. 8. 28. All this may be a meanes to bring godly life in request seeing it is the only ioyfull life and none haue indeede any sound cause of reioycing but the godly And here we are to meete with two obiections which terrifie men from godly life that lyes now a dayes like refuse wares vnaskt for and vnregarded First that the world accounteth the slate of Gods children most lumpish heauie and solitarie yea most vncomfortable it thinkes that no ioy nor mirth nor pleasure of their liues belongs vnto them but if once a man beginne in truth to liue godly he must bid a dieu to all mirth and gladnesse and betake himselfe to a mopish heauinesse and sadnesse But this is a grosse and foule deceit of the father of lyes whereby he hath much aduantaged his Kingdom and by a supposed want of ioy exceedingly puts godlinesse out of countenance Yet first true it is that God helpeth and draweth Christian ioy out of godly sorrow and no man can attaine this sound ioy but hee that is soundly humbled at the sight of his sinnes and herein the World sticketh not seeing the powerfull worke of GOD who out of this darknesse bringeth light who soweth light to the righteous and out of this sorrowfull Seed-time brings forth a white Haruest of ioy Secondly because now the heart being regenerate cannot carnally reioyce as before nor in carnall things hauing better obiects and causes of ioy on which it feedeth the stranger that cannot enter into this ioy thinkes he hath no ioy at all onely because worldly ioy is vnsauourie to him in comparison of spirituall Thirdly the World and wicked men set themselues to vnsettle the peace of the godly and doe often disquiet them and will let them haue as little ioy as may bee Yet Notwithstanding all this First the godly euen when they doe not reioyce haue iust cause to reioyce else our Sauiour would not haue pronounced the mourners blessed euen for the present Blessed are they that mourne nor haue said to the Disciples In the world ye shall haue affliction but in mee yee shall haue peace Ioh. 16. 33. Secondly if they sorrow they shall out-grow their sorrow and their sorrow shall bee turned into ioy as Christ promised the Apostles Ioh. 16. 20. The redeemed of the Lord shall returne and come to Sion with praise and euerlasting ioy shall be vpon their head they shall obtaine ioy and gladnesse and sorrow and mourning shall flye away Isa. 35. 10. So Isa. 61. 3. Christ hath appointed vnto them that mourne in Sion beauty for ashes the oyle of ioy for mourning and the garment of praise for the spirit of heauinesse Thirdly our Text teacheth that God would not haue the hearts of his children at any time so possessed with sorrow no not for the most iust causes but that they must support themselues and rise out of it with heauenly and spirituall ioy to which end serue all these commandements so thicke as we say and threefold which were all idle and to no purpose if their liues were still to be led in a lumpish and sowre manner Here therefore I would aduise such as feare God to looke to two things First to prepare their hearts by fulnesse of godly sorrow to be filled with ioy seeing it riseth out of serious sorrow for sinne and out of a broken heart we tune our harpes and musicall instruments to sweete musicke by wresting the strings neither must we as we are too ready to conceiue these two as enemies destroying but rather as constitutiue and conseruing causes one of another Then secondly let Gods people bee aduised to looke into their priuiledges which are such as may well not onely affect but rauish them with ioy and consider of their happie estate and translation into the fellowship of GOD and his Saints and that for these causes first that they may yeelde obedience to Gods commandement both here and elsewhere secondly manifest the presence of the Spirite in their hearts who brings with him peace and ioy and settles the Kingdom of the euerliuing God in the heart which consisteth in these thirdly that they may not onely take away this scandall which Satan and the wicked make aduantage of but also encourage others to get part in the same grace which keepes them in a cheareful and constant course of wel-doing when they see that no trouble nor affliction can interrupt their ioy fourthly without true ioy wee can neuer praise God heartily or serue him chearefully for no ioy in God none in his ordinances none in our dueties of either of our callings but we must needes be lumpish and heauie and soone weary of our prayers and hearing the word and the speciall actions of our calling wherein if we had delight we would not easily be pulled from them but count much time imployed therein as Iaakob did an hard prentiship of many yeeres but a few dayes because of
Spirit is another principall cause by whom God worketh godly sorrow in his children therefore he is called the Spirit of mourning and supplication and this makes both the Word and the Rod effectuall and this Spirit may bee seene in godly sorrow strengthning comforting quieting and refreshing the heart with inward ioy and contentment and bowing it to obedience Thirdly as godly sorrow comes from God so it goes to God againe and leads to God The sorrow of the prodigall Sonne after he came to himselfe made him goe to his Father with teares in his eyes and repentance in his heart and confession in his mouth I will say to him Father I haue sinned against heauen and against thee Hos. 5. 15. Surely in their afflictions they will seeke me diligently Take heede of such sorrow for sinne as driues from God if thy sorrow hinder reading prayer hearing godly conference yea if it bring thee not on thy knees and further all these though it bee for sinne it is from the Deuill for godly sorrow keepes God in sight still Fourthly it is limited by God it exceeds not the bounds of moderation sorrow for sinne may not passe measure for Gods Word doth bound it for the measure which it may not goe beyond now it is vnbounded and passeth the limits first when it vnfitteth the body or mind to good duties or to a good and chearefull manner of doing them now God loues a chearefull giuer He made the soule and body to helpe one another in his seruice and as the body must not oppresse the soule by surfetting and drunkennesse so the soule must not oppresse the body by pining and ouerthrowing the state of it Though wee must destroy the body of sinne that is the lusts of it yet we must not destroy the body of the man for that is murther and the way to runne into further sorrow Secondly when it maketh vs forget consolation Heb. 12. 5. Faint not when thou art rebuked of the Lord. Griefe for sinne must not swallow vs vp 2. Cor. 2. 7. And the reason is because that sorrow which is not ioyned with some assurance of reconciliation is sinfull and faithlesse and where this is there cannot but be consolation Heb. 12. 5. Hee speaketh vnto vs as vnto children Thirdly when it exceeds in time and wee suffer it to dwell with vs and vpon vs whereas if we sorrow for a night we must expect ioy in the morning and feare if we finde it not that it is more our owne impatiency and corruption then any other iust cause for faith in his worke still expecteth better and hopeth still Fourthly when it takes away all ioy from a Christian euen while it is present it is not godly sorrow Our commandement is Phil. 4. 4. Reioyce alwaies and againe I say reioyce Why is the Apostle so earnest in doubling this precept but because he saw this Christian reioycing so necessarie at all times as without it no good duty can be done well neither hearing nor prayer nor thankesgiuing whereof it is the ground and againe because the godly to whom the exhortation is directed for the wicked need not to be vrged to carnall ioy are so beset with trials that if they doe not still lift vp their dumpish hearts to the Lord they cannot but be ouerwhelmed But this is strange that wee must ioy euen in sorrow how can a man reioyce and sorrow at the same time Indeede carnall ioy and sorrow cannot stand together at the same time but Christian ioy and sorrow can and must for first suppose the sorrow be from without in respect of those persecutions and afflictions that the godly are beset withall euen herein they haue a signe of blessednesse a cause of reioycing and a commandement so to doe Matth. 5. 12. Paul and Silas sang in the prison the Martyrs in the flames and Iohn Baynam as if hee had been in a bed of Roses when he was at the stake Secondly if the cause be inward from sinne and corruption which is the most iust cause yet euen then Christian ioy may and must rellish a godly mans sorrow in that by the pardon of sinne hee hath escaped the wrath to come If a man for some heinous offence were ready to suffer the most exquisite torments that man could deuise if his deare friend should come with a pardon but that will not serue the turne vnlesse hee put himselfe in his place and indure all that torment for him here is cause of reioycing that he hath escaped the torment but of sorrow that by his wretchednesse his friend should be so tormented So it is betweene Christ and the Christian Or as if a man condemned to perpetuall prison for debt a suretie should bee content to sell his goods and lands to deliuer him here is ioy for his deliuerance but sorrow that he should be such a banquerupt and waster thus to vse his friend Thirdly is there not cause of ioy euen in heauinesse when the Christian heart can consider what a couenant and league of friendship he is entred into with the Lord how sweete must his loue beé to him now being a friend that so loued him when he was his enemy that he gaue his onely begotten Sonne to death for him to remooue the curse of sinne Fourthly is there not cause of ioy to thinke that now though I am troubled with sinne yet I haue the Spirit of Christ to witnesse my adoption and to seale vp to me my priuiledge to be called his sonne and to become coheire with Iesus Christ and in the meane time is euerie way mindefull of my good so free-hearted that aske what I will that is good for me I shall haue it his eare is open to heare my moane to fulfill my desires and is preparing that great glory whereby I shall in due time be like the holy Angels euer beholding the face of my heauenly Father Fifthly godly sorrow ends in God it goes not away but with sense of Gods loue and fauour whereas the other departs with ceasing of paine and change of outward things It is not the increase of corne wine or oile that can content the hart seased with godly sorrow but onely when God lifteth vp the light of his countenance vpon it Sixthly the fruit of godly sorrow is repentance neuer to be repented of that is a new life vnchangeable a returne to God not to returne againe to folly whereas hypocrites are purged and forget they are purged and so returne againe to folly By these notes try thy sorrow whether it bee godly sorrow or no. Secondly if the sorrow of the godly for sinne be not alwaies godly sorrow what shall we thinke of the wicked mans sorrow How do the vngodly deceiue themselues thinking that when they cry aloud in their paine and can speake some good words that it is repentance and that God heares them But it is as the roaring of cruell Lyons such as Esau's
is vnchangeable and the Spirit euer like himselfe looke as his course hath been towards his children in times past so he will still deale proceeding by the same rule of iustice and mercie hee neuer takes a wicked man by the hand neither did any innocent person euer perish vnder his hand as a iust God he punisheth like sinnes with like iudgements and remembers mercy to the godly because mercy pleaseth him Thirdly God would not onely describe a way to life in the Scriptures but also hath there set before vs leaders and guides in that way whence there is not a vertue in all the Scripture commended in the precept but it is exemplifyed and made to shine in some patterne and that for these two ends First that the godly might haue full and assured direction Secondly that the wicked despising both holy doctrine and holy example might iustly be condemned Fourthly God would set a testimonie of his grace and glory in his children whom because they giue witnesse to his truth and proceedings hee calleth a cloud of witnesses Heb. 12. 1. First because in their life and conuersation they witnessed by word and deed to Gods Church Secondly in their death many of them witnessed by their blood Thirdly hereafter they shall witnesse for or against vs The Saints shall iudge the world and therefore euery godly man ought to make vse of their example And is this so then this first ouerthrowes that wicked and tyrannicall practice of the Church of Rome which takes away the Scriptures from the Laiety as vnnecessarie for simple people though they be the deeds of their inheritance as if God had onely entred couenant with Monkes Priests and Regulars and not with Christian men and women who may not know either what God hath promised on his part or expecteth on theirs But if according to our doctrine all must make vse of the foresaid examples then they must haue the Scripture to know them by being therein registred When God gaue his Word to the Hebrewes hee wrote it in the Hebrew tongue a tongue familiar to them and gaue charge that euery one should teach it their children and deriue it from one generation to another After when GOD would propagate it to the Gentiles and the Monarchy came to the Grecians God put into the heart of Ptolomie Philadelphus to prouide seuenty two of the most expert Hebrews skilfull in the Greeke to translate it into Greeke which language was generally knowne in all Nations of Europe Asia and Africa which translation of the Septuagint is extant at this day Afterward when the Roman Empire preuailed and the Latine speech began by that meanes to be most common God would haue the Scripture translated into Latine to what other end but that it should be read and vnderstood and remembred practised of all because it concerned all But why doe the Papists thus cofer vp the Scriptures now the true cause is that the light thereof may not discouer their workes of darknesse but what say they Oh it is darke and obscure hard and knotty a breeder of heretikes and matter of strife What did God giue the Scripture for a remedie and is it turned to poyson did it once serue as a hammer to bruise errors and now doeth it serue to breed them was it once profitable 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to improue and now to impaire the trueth Did God send it for a doctrine of peace and is it now no other then a make-bate All controuersies must be decided by it and peace established on earth with God and men The Word is a Lanthorne and the Commandement a Light and plaine to the simple Psal. 19. 7. and 119. 130. And is it now so darke as no man can see his way by it hath God giuen all rules of doctrine and manners of faith and life and not onely that but witnessed all his way with man in examples of mercy and iustice encouraging piety and vertue and punishing the contrary and all in vaine what could the Lord doe more to make it easie and plaine and fit for instruction then he had done In a word by remouing the Scriptures they doe not onely depriue men of sauing doctrine in the precepts but also of the chiefe helpe of godly life in the practice of beleeuers Secondly if euery godly man must make vse of Gods ordinary dealing with his children then wee must take the counsell of Bildad to Iob chap. 8. 7. I pray thee looke to the examples of the former age and prepare to search of thy fathers namely whether if thou be pure God will not awake to thee looke whether any pure in heart were euer forsaken of God and as thou shalt find so conclude that God will deale with thee too make this vse of their example And we must not onely obserue Gods waies with them but also their waies with God following their ordinarie examples in vertue and watch our selues against their vices Many search into the liues of the Fathers and there spy Abraham perhaps lying Noah drunken and Salomon with many wiues and hence they boulster themselues in sinne they alleage the example of Dauid for adultery and of Paul for rage against God and the godly but this is to walke by the darke side of the cloude with the Egyptians to destruction therefore let vs turne to the light side to the Saints graces Ye shall haue some that being exhorted to piety and to a narrow watch ouer their waies will say presently Doe any thus or thus as you would haue vs why then we shall be singular we shall haue no company I wish men would consider their waies by this rule If thou seest no godly man before thee suspect that way and get out of it but howsoeuer few in the world walk in the straight way to life because few find it yet look to the Word and thou shalt see on all hands some or other in that way there thou hast a cloude to follow to goe when it goes to stand when it stands so thou be on the light side of it a notable guide through this pilgrimage of our life Oh there is no example of such precise carriage as you would haue vs take vp none but a few strait-lac't Ministers vrge or keepe it Yes looke to the Scriptures and thou shalt finde such as haue gone before any that are now liuing it would be counted too much precisenesse now to walke with God as Enoch did or for Masters to instruct their families and call them to an account for what they haue heard and yet Abraham did so If a man should be euer plodding in the Word to draw good lessons from it he shal be counted but a Bible-carrier whereas Dauid meditated on it day and night and Marie laid vp and pondered the Word in her heart these would be surely accounted too precise if they were now liuing Oh but if a man stand on these